Pages

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Making-Crocheting-Synthesizing

The purse design was inspired by Olivia at Girlybunches.
Please check out her video tutorial. I used Caron Pounder yarn in taupe with an H size hook.

My most recent crochet projects have been bags and purses. I'm not sure why I like making them so much other than they are quicker than sweaters. When I start a crocheted bag, it is always an experiment. I may see a video, pattern, or image of a bag then I synthesize those sensory experiences with yarn, a hook, and my own unique stitch tension that comes from how I hold the yarn and hook in my hands. I am totally fine with someone thinking that my bag or sweater or whatever I make looks handmade . . . because it is. What I make is a piece of me. For me, making is publishing. Making becomes a record of my current interests and skill level. Each piece also tells a story. For example, the purse above was made from yarn frogged from a failed attempt to craft a crocheted coat. The coat ended up several sizes too big and each time I tried it on, it seemed to stretch and grow even larger. That was when I learned I needed to understand the interplay between yarn weight, hook size, and stitch pattern before undertaking such a time consuming garment. The stitching on the edges of the shoulder straps came from yarn scraps. The lining material was chosen from hundreds of possible calicoes lined up deliciously at the fabric store. The color and pattern seemed to compliment the handle stitching. And the button--my favorite part of the bag was from the box of treasured buttons I inherited from my grandmother.